In late November, thousands of workers from an iPhone factory in China confronted police with riots and the destruction of blockades. Having taken place in the city of Guangzhou, protesters confronted hospital workers and ransacked food provisions.

This was a direct result from the outrage that was brewing in the public about China’s “zero tolerance” policy for COVID-19, in which lockdowns, quarantines, and mass testing have upended daily life.

As China entered its third year into the pandemic, having been the origin of the virus all the way back in late 2019, restrictions still were quite harsh. In the two weeks leading up to the protest, China had seen some rare acts of defiance, mostly from the now-visible anger and frustration. 

Online, the hatred and push against China’s Covid policy also continue to equally grow. Just recently, Chinese citizens raged at authorities after a 4-month-old girl died due to the fact she was not able to get treatment due to the coronavirus restrictions. 

These events follow Xi Jinping’s re-election into office for his third term, bringing up the vital question of how he will bring China out of the Covid era. The anger, along with the recent spike in COVID cases foreboded a dark winter. Although the government wants to loosen the restrictions, these recent rises have made officials hesitant as to whether it is truly the safest option.

As these events unfold in China, many multinational companies are looking to expand their production elsewhere. Even before the riot, Apple warned the Chinese government about how an unorganized lockdown could slow the creation of new iPhone 14 Pros and Pro Maxes, as China makes over half of the iPhones globally. These strikes ended up further delaying the dates prospective buyers would receive their new phones. 

Phones are only one of the many exports which China is known for supplying. In fact, a third of all exported goods are from China. Commonalities such as clothing, toys, appliances, and hygiene products are from China, and countries in the Americas and Europe that once were heavily reliant on these exports were suddenly having major supply shortages following the introduction of the policy.

However, Beijing is currently working to take China out of its zero-Covid policy restrictions at this very moment. It is unclear how life in the country will be once these new regulations are in place, but the public is certainly pleased to hear that life will return to normal after three grueling years.